Unilever Food Solutions shares its vision of dining and food service—and the trends that will shape it—with the release of Future Menus 2024.
Every year, Future Menus compiles and curates top food industry trends to watch out for. The report is the result of robust global data from extensive social media analytics of 56,000 keywords, and shared perspectives between 250 UFS’ professional chefs worldwide. These insights have been translated into kitchen recipes, techniques, and ingredient solutions that are practical, cost-efficient, and future-proof.
Discover the eight global food trends you’ll want to watch out for:
Health-conscious & plant-forward menus
Eat good to feel good: That’s what the Feel Good Food trend is all about. By prioritizing nutrition and flavor equally, you’re on track to long-term healthier eating habits. Lean into Irresistible Vegetables and highlight the appeal of humble veg through vibrant dishes. Roll pinakbet into lumpia! Make okoy out of vegetables! Don’t skimp on Plant-Powered Protein, like beans and legumes and monggo, which can add a good amount of heft to any vegetable-centric dish.
Sustainable practices
With the rising costs of produce, it’s becoming more important to maximize ingredients and minimize waste. Low-Waste Menus are a win-win: they push cooks to get creative with scraps—making soups out of leftovers, or fermenting unused vegetable parts into pickles—to find new ways to cook while reducing waste. Based on UFS’s research, many restaurant operators consider the low-waste trend to be the most relevant of them all.
Sustainability is an act of community. When you cook with Local Abundance, you celebrate Filipino ingredients and support local producers, building a relationship with food that goes way deeper than consumption and flavor. Knowing where your food comes from, who grows it and how it gets to you, deepens your appreciation for what’s on the table.
Consumer-centric enjoyment
When we cook for others, their enjoyment becomes top priority. The Flavor Shock trend knows it: By maximizing for taste, whether through next-level condiments or unexpected flavor combinations, you create knockout dining experiences that wow and surprise.
Ever wish you could eat the dishes you love for the first time again? There lies the appeal of Modernized Comfort Food. This trend pushes the familiar into exciting and new territory, forming new relationships with the food we know best. Imagine adobo in crispy shortribs form. Fried chicken dusted with sinigang mix. Breakfast waffles made with bibingka batter.
The New Sharing knows food is always better when shared. This trend spotlights formats that bring family and friends together. Think pica-pica, grazing boards, and canapés with a Filipino twist—finger foods to enjoy over drinks, laughs, and good company.
Future Menus 2024 showcases Unilever Food Solutions' dedication to sustainability and innovation in professional kitchens. These key trends assist chefs, restaurant operators, and cooks with the insights needed to stay ahead of an evolving culinary landscape.
To help you get started, the report comes with 25+ on-trend Filipino recipes developed by UFS Philippines and their team of professional chefs.
Get a free copy of Unilever Food Solutions’s Future Menus 2024 Report here.
